Wee Waa goes wild for Daft Punk at album launch

IF SATURDAY Night Fever was recast in a country town with dancers in robot costumes or fluffy animal suits, it would be the Daft Punk album launch in Wee Waa.

It should have been weird. Thousands of obsessed electronica fans descend on the cotton picking capital of Australia on Saturday as the locals kicked off their annual show.

Instead, more than 2500 people from New York to Newcastle came to New England for a party they will all be talking about forever.

"The Wee Waa Show has been going for 79 years; hopefully we don't have to wait another 80 years for something like this," local Jenny Langford said after her dog Randy picked up his blue ribbon.

"It's got everyone talking and it's better than talking about the drought."

Mayor Conrad Bolton said the town had been on a collective adrenalin high since it was confirmed that Daft Punk's Random Access Memories would be launched in Wee Waa on a giant LED dancefloor in the middle of the showgrounds.

The local butcher made Daft Pork sausages and there was even a UFO hovering over the oval.

It turned out to be a remote controlled drone shooting video of the party but for a few hours, it was enough to have wishful thinkers hoping it was Daft Punk arriving in Wee Waa.

The visitors who came to party brought good vibes and costumes. Lots of costumes.

There were Daft Punk helmets from almost every era of the French duo's two decade career.

There were frogs, bunnies and tigers.

And then there were Jasmine Jesberg and Danielle O'Keefe whose Daft Punk outfits were worth $1000 and the envy of every fan.

"We are obsessed by Daft Punk," Jasmine said.

When the playback of Random Access Memories kicked off at 8.30pm, the oval erupted with bouncing, happy people, enjoying the music, the company and canopy of stars.

Strobing spotlights and a glittering giant disco ball helped set the atmosphere of a mass disco in the bush.

It was one of those parties that 100,000 people will claim to have been at by the end of the year.

Everyone who was there will keep their memories but some were happy to part with their souvenirs of the night.

The Wee Waa limited edition CDs and posters were already being offered for sale for more than $50 on eBay.